Sarawak town chokes as haze pushes air pollution past Malaysia’s emergency threshold

Malaysian authorities declared a state of emergency in Serian, a town in Sarawak, on Friday after air pollution levels surpassed the national emergency threshold. The Air Pollutant Index in the town reached 521, a reading that indicates hazardous air quality for the local population of approximately 90,000 people.

The surge in pollution is attributed to smoke originating from forest and land fires in neighboring Indonesia. The emergency declaration serves as a formal response to the severe environmental conditions affecting the region on Borneo Island.